Santa's grottos in London: where to meet Father Christmas

Santa is sprucing up his Hamleys grotto this year, extending the festive fun to include a brand new elf workshop. Not only will you get to meet and greet Saint Nick himself, you’ll also get to rub shoulders with the hard-working elves that make his Christmas gift-giving possible. Of course, you won’t leave the grotto empty-handed – Santa and his little helpers will send you off with some of their handiwork to take home when your time in their company is up. Tickets go on sale on October 10. Santa’s preferred age of visitor is between 2 and 8 years old, but the whole family can tag along too. One ticket (from £55) guarantees entry for three people, and it’s £15 for each additional person, with a maximum of six allowed in each slot. 

Christmas at Kew has become a key date in London’s festive calendar, with a humongous light trail taking over the 300-acre botanic garden. See the space lit up with larger-than-life illuminations, with both the venue’s glass houses and the trees that cover its grounds drenched in different hues. The whole thing is stunning, but don’t miss the lake, where you’ll catch reflections of the vibrant bulbs dancing on the water, taking the magical feeling to another level.  Keep yourself toasty along the way with warming winter snacks and make sure you pop by the grotto to say hi to Father Christmas himself.

Choosing just which grotto in London to meet Santa in can be hard, but London Zoo might just have the edge. Where else can you shake hands with the big guy and then go off and meet some of Mother Earth’s cutest creatures? This year, kids can take part in special Christmas crafts activities before they’re introduced to the man, the myth, the legend himself in his cosy grotto and receive a special gift to remember the day by. An audience with the man in red will cost extra, but the zoo’s other seasonal attractions – including a giant animal advent calendar, Christmas-themed animal talks and marshmallow toasting– will be open through to January.

Hampstead Heath’s 17th century stately home might not be hosting its usual Christmas light show this year, but who needs a few reindeer-shaped LED lights when the real life Father Christmas is swinging by instead. Mr C is selflessly taking time out of his hectic pre-Christmas schedule to swing by Kenwood House to spin a few yarns and do a meet-and-greet with some of his biggest little fans. Tickets include a group storytelling sesh and an individual meeting, where every kid will get to take home a wrapped Christmas present to open on the big day. 

South London adventure park Hobbledown Heath is offering a whole host of festive fun for little’uns this December, having transformed into Santa’s Secret Village for the season, with twinkling lights, treat trails and a whole host of face to face experiences with Mr Claus himself. The main event is a Santa’s Grotto experience taking place on weekends throughout the month, and daily in the run-up to the big day. Tickets include all day entry into the Hounslow fun palace, festive cookie decorating in the Elves’ Workshop, timed entry to a meet and greet with yer man and a token allowing kids to claim a present. But we all know how frantically busy December can be, so there are a range of shorter experiences you can squeeze in around present-buying, office parties and school discos; the After School Santa Experience is an abbreviated version with entry to the Heath post-3pm, while Breakfast with Santa gets you a hot brekkie ahead of your meet-and-greet. Full details on all the different experiences can be found here. 

Santa has added a brand new stop on his tour of London this year, with south east London culture hub Woolwich Works hosting its inaugural grotto on select weekends in December.  Families looking for a special festive day out can expect a meet-and-greet with the big man in his gingerbread grotto, which features an iced roof and a garden lined with lollipops. Kids on the nice list will be treated to an edible gingerbread gift – the elves have even made a few gluten-free options –  which they’re able to decorate at a special icing station in the nearby cafe. It’s a day out the whole family can enjoy, with complimentary tickets for accompanying adults and any under 1s who want to meet Santa too.

The North Pole is an awfully long way from North London, but Santa is making the trek this Christmas to meet all the good children of the area. He’ll take up residence at Alexandra Palace’s East Court, where he’ll hold meet and greets, hand out pressies and pose for photos with the little ones. While you’re at Ally Pally, why not expand your Christmas experience with a trip to the ice rink?

Fancy a taste of Santa’s grottos of the past? Head to the London Museum Docklands where you and the kids can step into a metaphorical time machine and experience what little ones in the Victorian era would have witnessed when they went to meet Father Christmas. Even the gifts given out will be in keeping with times gone by and will be made from ‘traditional materials with minimal plastic’.

Winter Wonderland is where Santa thrives. The annual mega attraction doesn’t just boast a grotto, but a whole area dubbed Santaland. It’s filled with rides that take inspo from the jolly giant, like Santa’s Spinning Coaster and Santa’s Flying Sleigh Ride, a chill zone, and – on certain days – a whole parade where you’ll get to see the top dog and his elves heading home for the day. There is also the traditional grotto, of course, where you can get up close and personal with the guy behind the beard and grab a present – but only if you’re good.

London Transport Museum’s Santa enclosure is less of a grotto and more of a vintage bus-inspired sleigh. The interactive vehicle takes its cues from a classic Routemaster and the kids will have great fun climbing aboard, flashing its headlights and ringing its bells. Once they’re ready to hop off, Santa will be on hand with special presents, festive story screenings, Christmas crafts and a family trail to make a full day of things.

Set up in 2018 by a mother in search of positive Black representation at Christmastime for her children, Noir Kringle offers a full-on grotto experience with a Black Santa. Kids can tour his vintage workshop surrounded by glitter, presents, stockings and Christmassy sounds and smells. The 45-minute experience includes activities like storytelling, making Mrs Kringle’s magic reindeer feed, mini elf school and, of course, a meet-and-greet – and photo op – with Father Christmas, who will give each child a present. It sounds super fun, but also an important step towards introducing more diversity into Christmas and extending inclusion to (whisper it) fictional characters.

The first batch of tickets for Noir Kringle has sold out, but the organisers will be doing a second release with more time slots. Keep your eye on their website and social media for details.

Father Christmas is getting some posh new digs this festive season in a grotto experience that will tick the boxes for kids and adults alike. He’ll take up residence at Anya Hindmarch’s Village store in Chelsea, where visitors will be guided through a wintry wonderland of candy cane forests and icicle caves. When they make it to their destination, they’ll be rewarded with a festive story by the fire and a gift from Saint Nick. Grown-ups get a free hot drink from the Anya Cafe, where there will be piles of mince pies, gingerbread men and Christmas cakes on sale. Exit through the gift shop to buy limited-edition Anya Hindmarch gifts and Christmas decorations, including ceramic tree baubles, crackers, puzzles, mugs, crayons and teddy bears. 

Santa’s Christmas Skyride isn’t your typical grotto experience. Head on a virtual flight with Father C and his elves, where they’ll take you through the clouds to the big man’s home in the North Pole. Once you’ve arrived, the kids will get the chance to tell Santa their Christmas wishlist and get a cuddly reindeer present from him. There’ll also be the opportunity to take pics and buy mementos from the meeting, too.

Why go and meet regular old Santa when you could go and score some face time with a much greener, jollier Saint Nick? Shrek Santa is back at Shrek’s Adventure, taking up residence in an ogre-tastic grotto where he’ll be waiting to hand out sweet treats and pose for Christmas card-worthy pictures. Entry to the grotto is included in a ticket to the main attraction so you’ll get to meet all the other characters of the swamp along the way, from Donkey and the Muffin Man to Puss in Boots and Pinocchio.